


Of goats and lonely hearts

by TurtleTeapot



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Goats, M/M, Steve and Thor and a baby goat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2013-11-24
Packaged: 2018-01-02 13:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1057331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleTeapot/pseuds/TurtleTeapot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Animals have the wonderful power to comfort us in our times of need and to bring people closer together. The newest addition to the stables of the God of Thunder is no exception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of goats and lonely hearts

It was no secret, neither to Asgardians nor humans or anyone who knew his name in the Nine Realms, that Thor was fond of both children and animals. He protected them with the fierceness of a lion and cared for them the way he’d been taught to by his mother. Thor was quick to love gods, mortals and beasts alike and his father often lamented this one weakness his son had inherited from his birth mother, the Elder Goddess Gaea, but Thor saw no weakness in his love. If anything, it had made him more powerful for it had given him purpose other than power and selfish ambitions.

In his youth, his love for beasts had ignited in Thor the wish to own mighty and noble steeds and his brother - the most cunning of all gods – Loki, had convinced him to try and tame the most stubborn of all of Asgards animals, the fire-breathing goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. Even back then, Thor had been stronger than most of his kin, and as headstrong as the goats he wished to break. Nonetheless, it took the prince of Asgard an entire summer and a magical bridle to finally make the beasts bow to his wishes. To this day, the goat brothers shudder whenever they see the bridle but they have learned to love their master and there is a deep, mutual friendship between Thor and the goats.

For centuries they pulled Thor’s chariot and were ever there when their master needed them and in return, they could count on receiving the best food and all the affection a beast could hope for. Still, they lacked something, and Thor was not blind to their needs. Thus it came that the prince of Asgard brought to the goat brethren Heidrun, the she-goat that resides atop Valhalla and feeds on the leaves of Yggdrasill. Among all beasts of Asgard, the she-goat was one of the most-noble and only she was fit as a companion for Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr.

It was after a week on Midgard in which he had labored to rebuild a town that had been destroyed in an extraterrestrial attack with his fellow Avengers that Thor returned to Asgard and heard an unfamiliar, high-pitched bleating coming from the stables. This could mean but one thing, and indeed, upon investigating the sound, Thor found Heidrun the she-goat had given birth to a little goatlet with fur as white as virgin snow and tiny horns that shone like gold in the light of the sun. “My old friends, I believe congratulations are in order.” Thor told Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr and petted their sides the way he knew they liked best. Heidrun too was congratulated by Thor, and rubbed between her horns. The goatlet was given the name Gullhyrndr but Thor was wont to call him Gully, a fact which greatly displeased his mother, for her younger sister bore the same nickname.

Gully was very fond of his parents’ master and would not be held by the stable doors. He would follow Thor into the palace and Thor’s heart was too big to deny the little beast entrance. He allowed Gully to follow him around and would even let him sleep in his bedchambers. Thor had lost his brother Loki to his own cruel designs and his reincarnation, the child Loki who had been good and innocent, to the fate and lies. For all the chaos and suffering Loki had caused, Thor had always loved him dearly and his absence caused him great pain. With Gully by his side though, the pain was easier to endure. He had never felt the need to own a pet and Gully was not that. The goatlet was a tiny friend who depended on him and whose love was unconditional. Despite having lived longer than any mortal, this still was new to Thor. Everyone always had ulterior motives and the purity of this tiny, young animal was a refreshing change. Gully was no substitute for his brother, but he was a comfort in the dark, doubt-filled nights when Thor would not open to anyone else. The goatlet could not speak in the tongues of gods or men and so the secrets Thor whispered into his floppy ears remained hidden from the rest of the Nine Realms.

Whenever Thor left Asgard to be with his mortal brothers and sisters in arms, Gully suffered greatly from his absence and so it came to be that Thor decided to take the goatlet with him. As always, they arrived atop Avengers Tower, which had become like a second home to Thor. No-one seemed to notice his arrival and since he was here for the sake of much needed leisure time and not to fight, he simply made for the nearest kitchen to prepare a Midgardian breakfast for himself and Gully. Thor was exceedingly fond of waffles and maple syrup and he had mastered the task of preparing them fairly quickly. To his great sorrow though, there were no waffle irons on Asgard and so he could only enjoy this delicacy when he was on Earth.

Fully immersed in preparing the waffle batter, Thor heeded not the things Gully was doing and before he could so much as react, the goatlet had jumped on the kitchen counter and headbutted the bowl in which he had mixed the batter. Cursing in all languages Thor knew, he found himself as well as Gully covered in waffle batter and yet he could not blame the little beast for it had only acted according to its nature.

It was thus that when Steve Rogers entered the kitchen a few minutes later that he found Thor stripped down to his breeches and leaning over the sink with a small goat in his hands which seemed to quite enjoy the shower it got. “Thor? What on Earth are you doing? Why are you bathing a goat?” Steve asked, trying not to notice the way the water splashed on his friend’s muscular arms and chest. “The goat’s name is Gullhyrndr and I’m afraid he has caused quite the mess. I do not wish to add more labor to friend Stark’s employees so I took it upon myself to clean the kitchen…as well as myself and Gully here. He has yet to learn his table manners.“ Thor smiled at Steve and a strand of his golden hair fell into his face. The god of thunder was almost infuriatingly handsome, a fact which was hard to miss even by Steve, but what endeared him the most to Thor was his friend’s big heart and the gentleness with which he was touching everything and, right now, the little goat in his hands. Thor treated this little creature with more love than could ever be expected from someone whose wrath could level an entire town in seconds.

“So uhm…this is your pet goat?” Steve frowned, not quite knowing what to make of this situation. He knew Clint had a dog now and also that it would be foolish to expect Thor to have a normal animal. Still, he couldn’t help being surprised. “To consider him a mere pet would be an ill thing to do, my friend. Gully is the son of noble beasts and has been my trusted companion ever since the day I met him. Now would you mind helping me with the soap? He starts to wiggle unless I hold him with both hands.” Without even thinking about how utterly bizarre this situation was, Steve rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the bottle of soap and helped Thor wash the happily bleating goat. It was an odd thing, standing shoulder to shoulder next to his friend, being able to smell him and something that looked like waffle batter stuck to his hair, all while washing a baby goat. There was something strangely intimate about it, especially whenever one of Steve’s hands brushed over Thor’s. Little Gully seemed to greatly enjoy all the attention and it didn’t take Steve long to understand why his friend loved the goat so much. He really was a cute, little fellow.

Once the goat was all cleaned up, Thor wrapped it in a kitchen towel and gently rubbed it dry. He made quite the strange sight, standing there in the kitchen, bare-chested and cradling a baby goat in his tree trunk-like arms. Still, Steve enjoyed seeing him this way. He had always been quite close with Thor and they shared mutual respect as well as a deep friendship few could comprehend. In all his musings, Steve was a little surprised when Thor spoke again.

“I was trying to make waffles but Gully thwarted my attempts. I know I already asked you to help me wash him, but could you watch him for me while I try once again to make waffles?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t mind some waffles though, as payment for me goat-sitting little Gully here.”

They both laughed then and Steve found himself cradling Gully in his arms like a baby. It was a little weird, holding a goat like that, but he didn’t mind. He simply figured this might be a normal thing to do on Asgard. Thor started mixing the batter again and told Steve about how he tamed Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. Steve liked hearing about all this and watching his friend cook. He wasn’t sure if he was more fascinated by the way Thor’s muscles moved under his flawless skin or by all of his stories. He wasn’t sure at what point he’d started being attracted to his friend, but it supposed that with the deepening of their friendship, he had started seeing Thor in a different light.

Before long, the first waffles were done and Thor served them with maple syrup and butter, the way he had learned it from his Midgardian friends. Gully too got a single waffle on a plate and Steve put the little goat down on the ground so he could eat. “Those taste amazing!” Steve praised the waffles and earned himself one of Thor’s bright, happy smiles, he loved so much. “Thank you, my friend. I take great pleasure in your realm’s food and, it seems, so does Gully.” Their conversation was light-hearted and mostly centered around food and the little goat, and it was pleasant for everyone involved. While Thor was not an easy man to read, especially since he tended to hide his emotions behind smiles, but Steve had known for a while that his friend was suffering from the loss of his brother. Now though, Thor seemed genuinely happy, and when Steve looked down at the little goat, he knew Gully had helped his friend cope. One day, Steve would find the words to offer Thor comfort, to offer him more than his friendship and to help him over the loss of his brother. One day, he would, but for today, he was simply glad Thor had the little goat by his side.


End file.
